Better Pictures--(I Hope)

[Brian Rupnow]

I have had an ongoing problem taking good enough pictures of my projects to post. If I use the flash on the camera, I get "wash outs" in the center of the pictures from the reflection of the camera flash. If I don't use the flash, the pictures are too dark to see. I can't always drag my subject material outside to photograph it in natural light. As a consequence of this, I have to take 7 or 8 pictures of the same thing in order to get one good enough to post. Today I finally got tired of this and visited a local camera shop. When I explained my problem, they immediately tried to sell me a white fabric "Light Box" to take my pictures in. I explained to them that my projects are frequently covered in oil and/or machining chips, and that I didn't think the white fabric light box would live very long. They then suggested a "Diffuse light stand and light reflecting parasol." This sold for a total of $110 including taxes, so I brought it home to try. It seems to make a remarkable difference, and I don't have to use the camera flash at all. I will have to experiment with this rig, but I expect the quality of pictures I post to improve.-----Brian

 

[sssfox]

What kind of camera do you have?

 

[ziggar]

how about some with and without photos so as to gauge the difference

with flash, without flash
with brolley, without brolley

and im guessing you have a Canon PowerShot SX110 IS

 

[Brian Rupnow]

What kind of camera do you have?

Cannon powershot SX110

 

[rhitee93]

That will probably help. If you still struggle with it, give me a shout. I used to do product photography, and it can get complicated to avoid highlights will filling in the shadows.

 

[sssfox]

Brian,

You are correct about not being able to use the flash in this situation. It is really designed for taking pictures of people. It is too small and focused for your use.

You are probably going to need two lights. You can get away without another parasol, just get a small stand with a bare bulb. For what you are doing, your existing light needs to be mounted further up in the parasol. They make some really neat color balanced compact fluorescent bulbs that work really well for this use and are cheap. These small sensors need a lot of light.

It is really important which preset you use. I don't have that model, so I'm not sure which one is most appropriate. You want something with an fstop greater than the maximum (small number). It is better to use a mid range number, not the minimum or the maximum. Use an iso of 200 or possibly 400.

Don't be afraid to get in close and use a tripod. If you are always using it indoors, even a light one will suffice.

To reduce shake, I use the timer so my hand isn't on the button when the shutter trips.

If you want a plain background, get a white window shade and mount it to the wall where you normally shoot. Roll it down when you want to use it.

Don't feel bad, You can spend your entire life perfecting the quality of your photography. I figure if I get one good picture out of 10 and one great one out of 100, I'm doing good.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sshire]

Brian
I taught this stuff for nearly 30 years. The basic principle for photographing reflective surfaces is to have the light source larger than the subject because you are actually photographing the reflection of the light source, not the surface. This is why direct flash or sunlight doesn't work. The sun (even though it is really big) is, at 93,000,000 miles, a point source of light. Now, put a big diffusion surface up there( overcast day) and the point source is now horizon to horizon. It's bigger than the subject surface.
This is why I always get a chuckle when reading about putting a piece of tissue over the camera's flash to diffuse it. It's making it a tiny bit bigger.
When I was teaching this stuff in college, we often used diffusion panels that were 4'x4' and were placed within inches of the subject. We made them from 1" PVC pipe with 90 degree PVC corners. The diffusion material was white ripstop nylon. No glue on the PVC so they could be disassembled and stored. The light was aimed at the diffusion screen from the back to completely illuminate it.
Your umbrella is fine but not ideal for what you want to do. It cannot get close enough to become larger than the subject.
They camera store guy was correct. I use a Cowboy Studio light box (under 30 USD) and very carefully put the part on a small piece of clean scrap 6061 so that it doesn't touch the bottom. Keeps it cleaner.

Hope this helps